Pet Travel Insurance: What Covers a Pet Abroad

Pet travel insurance is not a standard product. Ordinary travel insurance covers people, not animals, so it will not pay a vet bill abroad. Cover for a traveling pet comes from your pet health insurance policy, if it applies outside your home country, and from a few optional travel insurance add ons with narrow benefits. Most of the real cost of taking a pet abroad is paperwork, vaccines, airline fees and, in some destinations, quarantine, none of which is insurable.

Key facts at a glance

• The destination country sets the entry requirements for pets, and those rules can change at any time, according to the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).
• Every dog entering or returning to the United States must be at least 6 months old, have a microchip readable by a universal scanner, appear healthy and have a CDC Dog Import Form receipt, according to the CDC.
• The CDC Dog Import Form is free, and for dogs that have been only in low risk countries the receipt is valid for six months and multiple entries.
• Pets entering the EU from outside it need a microchip, a rabies vaccination and an animal health certificate issued no more than 10 days before arrival, according to the EU's Your Europe portal.
• Great Britain may quarantine a pet for up to 4 months if its entry rules are not followed, according to GOV.UK.
• Travel Guard sells a Pet Bundle as an optional add on, and WorldTrips' Atlas Travel includes a Pet Return benefit of up to 1,000 US dollars. Both have tight conditions.

Does travel insurance cover pets?

As a rule, no. A travel insurance policy insures the people named on it. Its medical benefit pays for your treatment, not for your dog's. Its baggage benefit covers belongings, and an animal is not baggage for claim purposes. If your pet falls ill and you decide to stay home, that is generally not a covered reason for trip cancellation unless the policy says so.

There are two exceptions worth knowing about, and both are limited.

• Optional pet add ons. Travel Guard describes a Pet Bundle for its Deluxe and Preferred plans. It adds boarding costs if a covered delay keeps you from getting home on time, medical expense cover for a dog or cat traveling with you, and trip cancellation or interruption if your pet is in critical condition or dies within seven days before departure.
• Pet return. Atlas Travel's policy wording pays up to 1,000 US dollars for a one way economy ticket to send a pet home. It applies only if you are the only adult traveling with the pet and you are hospitalized for a covered illness or injury, leaving the pet unattended for more than 36 hours.

Neither turns a travel policy into pet health insurance. For a broader view of the gaps in travel policies, see why travel insurance claims are denied.

Does your pet insurance work in another country?

It depends entirely on the insurer. Some US pet insurers limit cover to treatment in the United States and Canada. Others extend cover to veterinary care anywhere in the world, sometimes with a cap on how long the pet can be abroad. The territory clause is usually a single sentence in the policy, so it is quick to check.

Ask your insurer four things in writing: which countries are covered, for how many days, whether a vet abroad must hold any particular license, and how to file a claim with an invoice in a foreign language and currency. Expect to pay the vet in full and claim reimbursement later. Pet policies also exclude pre-existing conditions, and most do not cover routine costs such as travel vaccines, health certificates or parasite treatments required for entry.

What documents does a pet need to leave the US?

APHIS advises contacting a USDA accredited veterinarian as soon as you decide to travel. That vet looks up the destination's current requirements, performs the exam, completes the international health certificate and submits it to APHIS for endorsement where the destination requires it. Not every vet is USDA accredited, so ask before you book the appointment.

APHIS treats dogs, cats, ferrets, rabbits, rodents, hedgehogs, reptiles, amphibians and certain birds as pets for export purposes. Poultry species fall under different rules. Timing is tight: many destinations require the certificate to be issued within a short window before arrival, so the vet visit, the endorsement and the flight must line up.

If your dog is going to a country the CDC lists as high risk for dog rabies and will return to the US, sort out the return paperwork before you leave. APHIS states that the certification of a US issued rabies vaccination cannot be issued retroactively after the dog has left the United States.

What are the pet entry rules for the EU and Great Britain?

For the EU, the Your Europe portal lists these requirements for pets arriving from a country outside the EU:

• A microchip, implanted before the rabies vaccination is given.
• A valid rabies vaccination, given when the pet is at least 12 weeks old.
• An animal health certificate issued by an official vet in the country of departure no more than 10 days before the pet arrives.
• A written declaration that the movement is not commercial, and entry through a designated travellers' point of entry.
• No more than five pets per trip, with limited exceptions for competitions and shows.
• For dogs going to Finland, Ireland, Malta, Norway or Northern Ireland, a tapeworm treatment given 24 to 120 hours before arrival.

A rabies antibody blood test, taken at least 30 days after vaccination and followed by a three month wait, also applies to pets arriving from some countries outside the EU. The portal has a tool that shows whether the country you are departing from is exempt. Great Britain has its own rules. GOV.UK requires a microchip before the rabies vaccination, a wait of at least 21 full days after the first vaccination, tapeworm treatment for dogs between 24 hours and 5 days before arrival, and travel on an approved route. Pets that do not meet the rules may be quarantined for up to 4 months, or refused entry if they arrived by sea.

What do you need to bring a dog back into the US?

CDC rules apply to every dog, including one that was born in the US and is coming home from vacation. The dog must be at least 6 months old, microchipped, healthy on arrival, and have a CDC Dog Import Form receipt. For a dog that has spent the previous six months only in countries that are free of dog rabies or low risk, the form is the only CDC document required. It is free, can be completed on the day of travel, and the dog may enter at any airport, seaport or land border crossing.

Dogs that have been in a high risk country in the previous six months face additional documentation, and the requirements depend on where the dog was vaccinated. The CDC states that dogs not vaccinated against rabies that have been in a high risk country will not be permitted to enter. Use the CDC's online navigator for your exact case, and note that an airline may refuse to board a dog without the receipt.

Which destinations quarantine pets, and what will it cost?

Quarantine is most common in places that are free of rabies. Hawaii, although a US state, requires dogs and cats to complete either a 120 day quarantine or its 5 Day Or Less program, which depends on rabies vaccinations, a blood test and a waiting period completed in advance. Pets that do not meet every requirement of the shorter program can be held for up to 120 days, according to Hawaii's Animal Quarantine Branch, and the preparation takes months. Island nations such as Australia and New Zealand run their own permit and quarantine systems, so read the official import pages before you commit.

Budget for these costs, none of which a pet or travel policy normally reimburses:

• The veterinary exam, microchip, vaccines, blood tests and parasite treatments required by the destination.
• The health certificate and any government endorsement fee.
• The airline's pet fee, which differs for cabin, checked and cargo travel, plus a crate that meets the airline's size rules.
• Quarantine fees charged by the destination, where they apply.
• A pet relocation agent, if the route requires cargo handling or you want the paperwork managed for you.

Airline rules vary widely on breed, size, cabin limits and temperature restrictions, and some routes accept pets only as cargo. Confirm the pet reservation by phone before you buy your own ticket.

Download our free International Pet Travel Checklist below. It puts the vet, document, airline and quarantine steps in order, with the questions to ask your pet insurer before you leave.

How to get covered

Treat this as two separate questions. For your pet, call your pet insurer and confirm the territory clause in writing, or look for a pet policy that covers care abroad. For yourself, remember that a medical emergency of your own is what would leave a pet stranded. Ombrela compares travel medical plans for people, not pet insurance, and the plan finder shows which plans fit your citizenship and destination. If you are not a US citizen and are visiting the United States with a pet, you can compare visitor medical insurance for your own cover. Premiums depend on age, trip length, policy maximum and deductible. Our glossary explains any terms that are unfamiliar.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there travel insurance that covers pets?

A few insurers sell optional add ons. Travel Guard's Pet Bundle, for example, adds boarding costs after a covered delay, medical expenses for a dog or cat traveling with you, and trip cancellation if your pet is critically ill or dies within seven days before departure. These are extras with their own limits, so read the plan document. Standard travel policies do not pay vet bills.

Will my pet insurance pay a vet in another country?

Only if the policy's territory clause includes that country. Some US pet insurers cover treatment only in the United States and Canada, while others cover care worldwide, sometimes for a limited number of days. Ask for confirmation in writing before you travel, keep itemized invoices, and expect to pay the vet yourself and claim reimbursement when you return.

Does trip cancellation cover me if my pet gets sick?

Usually not. Standard covered reasons relate to the illness, injury or death of a traveler, a traveling companion or a family member, and pets are not included in those definitions. Some optional pet add ons list a pet's critical condition or death shortly before departure as a covered reason. A cancel for any reason upgrade reimburses part of the trip cost whatever the reason.

How far ahead should I start planning pet travel?

Start as soon as you choose the destination. APHIS advises contacting a USDA accredited veterinarian immediately, because requirements differ by country and can change. Destinations that require a rabies blood test or advance qualification can take months. Hawaii's shorter quarantine program also depends on steps completed months ahead. Simple routes still need a certificate timed to your arrival.

Taking a pet abroad is mostly a documents project with an insurance question attached. Settle the entry rules first, confirm your pet policy's territory in writing, and make sure your own medical cover is in place with the plan finder so an emergency of yours does not become one for your pet.